The Alaskan Malamute has a naturally occurring congenital condition of chondrodysplasia. This is a genetic inborn error of metabolism occurring as a recessive trait with varying degrees of expression. The Alaskan Malamute serves as a useful model for studying the pathogenesis of this disease, especially with growth patterns in puppies. Studies of biochemical, histochemical, and morphological changes serve to define this disease in humans as well as provide mechanisms of pathogenic processes as occur with neoplasms of the skeletal system.